A digital re-planting of Trafalgar Square launched on 24th March 2025 to celebrate William Morris and the end of my sixth Morris Quarter. 
- Go to Trafalgar Square
- Scan the above QR code on your mobile device ( or click this link)
- Click 'open' Adobe Aero - don't worry no software will be downloaded
- Give it some time to load and follow on-screen instructions.
- Enjoy exploring the Plum Orchard.
OrchARd is a one day performance and everlasting Augmented Reality installation in Trafalgar Square London.
In his eco-utopian novel 'News from Nowhere', William Morris describes Trafalgar Square transformed into a fruit Orchard - a symbol of a more natural and sustainable way of life, transforming London from an urban metropolis into a rural ecosystem. I have translated this vision for the 21st century by merging modern technology and traditional botanical imaging to turn Trafalgar Square into a virtual orchard.
The physical trees and plums grow near Lord Nelson's place of birth in North Norfolk. Captured in their prime using an ultra-high resolution scanner, luscious plums are digitally replanted around Nelson's column using geolocated Augmented Reality. And now the local fruit and bought back together with Nelson as they surround his eponymous column!
I've also released a Limited Edition Print to celebrate the new work, which is one of the scans, Merryweather Damson, from the installation.
To attract visitors to OrchARd I dressed as William Morris, carrying a sandwich board inspired by the 'pick your own' signs found along many country lanes. A QR code takes participants on a virtual discovery tour and invites them to identify the 47 varieties of heritage plums, damsons and gages that arrived at the orchard from across Europe and beyond. The sumptuous display of locally grown fruit stands in stark contrast to the ever decreasing diversity presented pre-packed on supermarket shelves.
